The lawyer Adriana Kalaja appeared yesterday to testify before the Special Prosecutor's Office against Corruption and Organized Crime (SPAK), in the context of an investigation concerning extensive allegations of illegal transfers and abuses of real estate in the coastal zone of Himara.
According to what she said, her call is related to one of a total of 86 lawsuits which he has submitted, which concern – as he claims – the management of public lands and assets in the Municipality of HimaraShe herself spoke of the involvement of high-level politicians, as well as officials, claiming that her complaints are not limited to isolated incidents.
Kalaja also stated that the case also involves state law enforcement agencies, according to the lawsuit, making specific reference to Vlora PoliceAs he argued, through actions and omissions, local government officials and competent services allegedly contributed to what he described as organized scheme of illegal transfers along the entire coastline.
She clarified that her complaints have been filed by July 2024 and were later supplemented with additional information, while the prosecution decided to consolidate into a single fileFor Reasons of investigative confidentiality, he refrained from giving further details, however, hinting that developments are expected.
Finally, he clarified that this specific case is not linked to other ongoing investigations involving different individuals, but concerns exclusively complaints about the Municipality of Himara.
The following are the statements of lawyer Adriana Kalaja
"First of all, on the occasion of the fact that today I was called to testify in my capacity as the complainant, and as this coincided with Mr. Braho's first day of duty, I wish him success in this particularly important mission and I hope and believe that the years of his tenure at the leadership of SPAK will be years of implementation of the law and the Constitution.
As a whistleblower, I believe – like all Albanian citizens – that SPAK's work in uncovering the grand corruption and, above all, the ties that exist between corrupt top officials and organized crime.
This is one of the 86 lawsuits I have filed. It concerns abuses of public property in the area under the Municipality of Himara. We are not only talking about illegal transfers of real estate along the entire coastline, but also about the involvement of persons of the highest political level, starting from the prime Minister Edi Rama, as well as other senior officials, including the former head of the competent archives service, who is currently a member of parliament.
The competent prosecutor considered that, in the interest of the case, all relevant charges should be consolidated into a single file. Respecting the investigative secrecy, I reserve the right not to disclose more information at this time. Very soon, however, there will be concrete results and decisions from SPAK.
This specific case has no connection to other investigations involving different individuals. This is a different lawsuit, which concerns exclusively the Municipality of Himara and the illegal transfers of real estate. Among the defendants are: Vlora Police, the municipal police, the urban planning services, the Land Registry Service and the former head of the State Archives. For us, this is about structured crime group, as through actions and omissions they played a decisive role in this property grab.”
